Correct Answer :   Akshata Krishnamurthy

Akshata Krishnamurthy is an Indian woman who created history as she became the first person from the country to operate the Mars rover with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the United States. She shared her achievement on Instagram, saying, "No dream is ever too big or crazy. Believe in yourself, keep those blinkers on and keep working! I promise you'll get there if you work hard."

Akshata is a PhD holder from the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). She is among the few Indians who joined NASA for a full-time opportunity. According to her LinkedIn profile, Akshata is a principal investigator and mission science phase lead at NASA. She has been working at NASA for over five years now.

Akshata shared her inspiring journey on Instagram and how she became the first Indian citizen to operate a rover on Mars and collect samples to bring back to Earth. Akshata's journey began 13 years ago when she came to the United States with a dream to work at NASA and lead science and robotic operations on Earth and Mars. However, she was discouraged from having unrealistic goals as she was a foreign national on a visa. People told her to have a different plan or change her field entirely. However, Akshata blocked those comments and persevered until she reached the goal.

"From getting my PhD at MIT to knocking 100s of doors to get hired full-time at NASA, nothing came easy. Today (7th Dec 2023), I work on multiple cool space missions, including the Perseverance rover collecting samples to bring back to Earth," she wrote.

Since then, the video she posted has garnered over seven lakh views. Her followers hailed her for her achievement and for making the country proud.

"Seriously, this is very impressive and commendable! Folks don't realize how many hardworking and talented individuals are needed in every sector of our workforce to keep advancing society," a user wrote. Another user said, "Women like you are an inspiration to aspiring female youth leaders."

"So inspiring, Dr Krishnamurthy. People like you are an absolute inspiration for the younger ones. Wish you the best of the best in the years to come. Congratulations again," another user commented. A user added, "MIT and NASA? Living the dream. You go girl."..

Source : WIO News